Rapid healing of a persistent corneal epithelial defect (PCED) with autologous serum treatment

Autologous serum drop (ASD) is a safe and efficient treatment option for most of the ocular surface diseases. We report a case of a persistent corneal epithelial defect in a patient treated by ASD. A 28 year old male patient presented to our clinic with eye pain and blurry vision in his left eye. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/20 in the right eye and 20/200 in the left eye. Slit lamp examination revealed a central corneal epithelial defect on the left eye and the right eye was normal. Corneal epithelial defect appeared after left upper eyelid chalazion surgery and persisted for 2 months without any response to treatment with eye patching, bandage contact lenses, and artificial eyedrops. We started the treatment with ASD six times daily and preservative-free netilmicin eyedrops four times daily to prevent infection. The drops were used simultaneously with eyepatching for the first two days. The eye was left unpatched after the second day. The corneal epithelial defect resolved after 48 hours. We did not detect a new epithelial defect in the follow up visits. ASD is a quick, safe, and effective treatment option in persistent epithelial defect cases.